Auxiliary closure for doorways of freight cars



Oct. 9 1923.

W. w.'BooTl-| 'AUXILIARY CLOSURE FOR DOORWAYS OF FREIGHT CARS Filed sept. 26, mez Smets-sheet 1 mam@ I Oct. 9 1923.

l w. vv. Boo-IH AUXILIARY CLOSRE4 FQR DOORWAYS OF FREIGHT CARS Filed sept. 2e. 1922 a-smetsnsmez a @5% 9x6@ Gigio/614mg) A. 'E Il Patented Uct. 9, 1923.

H' E SS 'E' a T ES P A T E 'f F F WALLACE W. BOOTH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Application led September 26, 1922. Serial No. 590,621.

To cillin/10722451? may concern Be it known that I, IVALLACE IV. BOOTH, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Closures for Doorways of Freight Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to means for temporarily and internally closing and sealing the doorways of freight cars when the latter are used for the transportation of grain. or any other product or material consisting of relatively small particles or component parts, in bulk,-i. e. any substance that will flow by gravity, including the smaller grades of coal, etc.

My objects are to avoid the labor and expense heretofore involved in the preparatory coopering or boarding up of such doorways, and the subsequent labor and waste involved in the removal and discarding of such cooperage; to facilitate the operationsboth of applying and dispensing with my substitute for such cooperage; to attain an effective sealing in of the mobile material held in bulk in the car so that there can be no leakage thereof during storage or transit; and to accomplish these results by comparatively simple and inexpensive means, intact and transferable for use as required.

To this end my invention consists in the specific construction, combination and arrangement of component parts and appurtenances herein described and claimed; distinctive features consisting in the provision of cam-actuated and controlled locking plates; the duplex character of the camsv employedin relation therewith; in a supplementary slidable miniature emergency door formed in my temporary sealing panel and provided with a rear seal plate; and in certain incidental minor details of construction, all as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, I illustrate a practical embodiment of the essential features of my invention-as applied to a freight car, of any ordinary or desired construction, provided with the usual side doorways and slidable doors, with the understanding however, that I do not necessarily confine myself to the identical form and construction of minor parts and details, since modifications or substitution of equivalent mechanical expedients may obviously be resorted to with like results, and without departing from the spirit and intent of my invention in this respect.

Fig. 1, is a diagrammatic representation of a side elevation of a freight car, to the doorway of which my auxiliary closure p-anel is applied:

Fig. 2, is a front elevation of my auxiliary closure panel:

Fig. 3, is an elevation of one of the vertical edges of my closure panel, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow w between said Figs. 2 and 3:

Fig. 4, is a transverse vertical section taken upon the plane of line 4 4, F ig. 2:

Fig. 5, is a horizontal section taken upon the general plane of line 5-5, Fig. 2, but upon a larger scale, and with the central portion of the panel broken away:

Fig. 6, is a sectional detail upon an enlarged scale, taken upon the plane of line 6-6, Fig. 2:

Fig. 7, is a perspective View of one of the duplex cams used to control the slidable locking plates:

Fig. 8, is an edge eleva-tion of said duplex cam:

Fig. 9, is a front elevation, broken away in par-ts, of one of the slidable locking plates:

Fig. 10, is an elevation, upon a larger scale, of a portion of one of said locking plates:

Fig. l1, is a transverse section taken upon plane of line 11-11, Fig. 10.

Fig. 12, is a rear or inside elevationof the emergency door, looking 1n the direc-v tion of the arrow i, shown in Fig. 4:

Fig. 13, is a sectional detail of one of the door `jambs, etc., as shown in Fig. 5, illustrating a modification in the cam lmounting means;

Fig. 14, is a sectional detail,A taken upon plane of line 14-14, Fig. 3, of one side portion of my closure panel;

Fig. 15, is a sectional detail taken upon the plane of line 15-15, F ig. 2.

K, represents an ordinary freight car, formed with the door way 7c, closable by means of the usual slidable external door c,-y', j, being the door way jamb posts or members.

Heretofore ithas been customary, in preparing a freight car for a load of grain or other loose mobile material in mass, to board up andl close the door way to a greater or less extent in height, by positioning planking horizontally across said door way and nailing the same to the interior sides ot the jambs, j, j, thereby constitutingl what is known in freight parlance as cooperagei This involves considerable expenditure 'et time and labor, and even when done care` iully results in interstices and crevices through which the material is apt to si'tt and be lost, as the outer door 7e. koi the car affords little or no protection in this respect. Furthermore, zitter serving their purpose, the boards constituting;` the coopeiage closure have to be wrenched loose or chopped away and discarded, being practically a total loss in this particular, as well as an' element of danger on account ot protuberant nails, splinters, etc., not to mention the inconvenience ot the operation ot dislodgeinent ot this primitive torni ot closure, and the time `and labor consumed thereby.

Hence the main object ot my invention is the production' ot a closure panel of per-- manent structure, but designed tor temporary use upon occasion as an auiiliary to the usual slidable car doen-#a device that can be quicklyl and'conveniently applied to or removed'lroin the doorway, the Vonly permanentI addition to the car itself. being the provision of the existent door jambs j, j,

on their inner sides with auxiliary'janib-` flanges 7", j, as shown more particularlyv in Fig. 5 oit the drawings, these auxiliary jamb anges, .7", j, consisting preferably of strips ot wood nailed or otherwise permanently attached to the usual door-jamb j, j, oit which they become a permanent part, their projection beyond said original door-jamb j, y', being butslight. and insufficient to intertere with the use ot the car tor other and ordinary purposes.

vli/ly auxiliary closure panel A, comprises a series ot horizontally disposed rabbetjointed boards a., a, held together in alignment by transverse vertical cleats a. c?, three of which are'pre'terably provided.` i. e.,-a central medial cleat a', and two marginal cleats a?, a2, adjacent to the side edges'o'f the panel. as shown more partienlaily in Fig. 2, ot the drawings.y These cleats are positioned on what may lie designated as the exterior surface oi the panel. On the other or inner side ot the panel. the lower portion thereof is provided with lengitudiiial shown particularly in Figs. 3 and lll, of the drawings, the function o'lfth-vse battens being to strengthen and when in use as a retainer for a maximum load of mobile material within the car.' T he upper edge a3', ot the upperbatten a3, is chamtered or bevelled as shown in 3, to facilitate the settling land descent ot the vis bevelled so as notA to impede'the flow reinforcement battons ai", et, asV

torti't'y the auxiliary panel at and along` the area of greatest strainl grain or other mobile material and relieve frictional contact therewith when the door is being raised, so as to permit the mate rial to flow treely underneath. This construction also facilitates the discharge of mobile material through the emergency door way cx, when raised.

rlhe emergency door e, ported between ways e', e,

l5) and is protected on its inner side by a guard plate g, termed with an inturned lower lip g,`which bears lightly against the inner surface of the door e, and prevents clogging by the intrusion ot load material between said door e, and said guard is slidably sup- (see particularly nlate r. and also b f relievinpthe door of l l .s

the operativeness ot or sampling of goods' load pressure, insuring this means of delivery, or material en route.

The lower member ax, ot the seriesot' horizontally disposed rabbet-joi'nted boards a, c, constituting the body of my auxiliary closure 'panel A, and which member 'l heren inatter designate as the sillsbo'a'rd ax, is of greater area in cross section than the boards c, a., above; and has bolted to it. as indicated in Fig. 6, particularly, (or otherwise rigidly secured to the sill board af) alongitu` dinal metallic shoe, s, preferably rectangular in cross section, which not only affords apertect line ot floor contact, but also' pro` Vtects the bottom of the panel A, against injury when the panel israised by a'crow-bai'i or similar implementused in effecting a pre,`

liminary opening vbetween the lower part ot' the panel A, and the tloor of the car K; The upper innersurtace a, of the sill board (LX',

load material b v reducing trietio'nal contact therewith when the panel A, is raised.

B, B, are bolt pla-tes mountedl on the inarginal cleats C02, a?, as shown more particularlyinFigs. 2, 3, and 5, and 14 of the drawings. They are held laterally sli'dable on said cleats a2. (a2, by means of headed studs or srrews'b, Y), passingthrough transversev slots b, Jformed or'the purpose, at suitable distances apart, in said bolt plates B.

B, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 andy 3, ot the drawings. Figs. 9 and 'l1 inclusive, show one ot these reference to which it will" be seen that, besides the transverse slots 7) 7)", each plate B,'is 'formed with a rectangular flange b2,

on one edge extending the 't'ull len gth' of the pl and also with thrust shoulders b3, b3, adjacent. to the other edge oi the plate. Between these thrust shoulders 3, 793. and the rectangular longitudinal flange Z22, the

plate is formed with transverse elongated: openings b4, b4, to accommodate, in each case,

a cam iilcruni on which al duplex lock cam D, is rotatably mounted. Thesefulcrum openings, b4. 5t, as do the transverse slots Zv, provide forthe lateral recipro'' bolt plates B, in det-ail, by"

cation of the bolt plates B, B, when actuated by the duplex cams D, as hereinafter set forth.

Two or more of these lock cams D, are provided for each bolt plate B, and each may be designated as a duplex ram, in that it not only functions to thrust the bolt plate B, in either direction, into or out of engagement with an auxiliary jamb y", of the doorway, but also to clamp said bolt plate B, tightly and rigidly against said jambj', and also against the cleat a2, on which said plate B, is mounted.

Fig. 7. shows one of my duplex locking camsD, in perspective, by reference to which itwill be seen that it is formed with an inner eccentric or thrust portion (l, for peripheral contactual engagement on one flange of the plate B, with the rectangular .flange 62, and also with a thrust shoulder b3, on the other edge of said lock plate B, said cam D, being also forlned with a lateral wedge section cZ, the function of which is to supplement the action of the thrust eccentric CZ, by clamping the lockplate B. rigidly in contactual engagement with both the marginal cleat a2, and the auxiliary jamb flange j', thereby also drawing the door panel tightly against the jamb y", and maintaining a positive seal on both sides thereof, as heretofore stated, and as shown more particularly in Figs. 5 and 13, of the drawings.

In this clamping' operation the head f', of

the fulcrum. bolt f, performs an important function in that it affords the requisite fixed resistance for the wedge cZ, in forcing the adjacent portion of the lock plate B, against the opposed surfaces of the jamb-flang'es j', and cleats @2f-it being understood of course, that the several cams D, D, are facsimiles, and that the operations above set forth apply to each cam and its area of action.

' In order to facilitate the rotative movement of each cani' D, on its fulcrum bolt f, even when the parts are in locked relationship as above set forth, I interpose a metallic bearing sleeve z', between said bolt f, and the hub of ythe cam D, as shown in Fig. 5, and imbed a metallic washer w, in the face of the cleat a2, to form a stress-bearing surface for one end of said sleeve z', the other end of the latter bearing against the head f', of 'the fulcrum bolt f; or the bearing sleeve may be dispensed with, as in the modification shown in Fig. 13, in which case the fulerum bolt f, is formed with a cam-bearing surface f2, of larger diameter than the threaded end of the bolt f, so as to form a shoulder 2G21, to bear against the stress washer w, and thereby relieve the hub of the duplex cam from undue pressure, so that it may be conveniently manipulated as desired.

It will be noted that the flange connecting the main portion of the plate B with the flange Z22 also constitutes a shoulder' with which `the thrust plate d is engageable.

By the provision of my auxiliary closure panel thus formed and equipped, I am enabled to materially shorten the time and labor involvedl in both loading and unloading a freight car with mobile material o-f the character designated, representing in fact a proximate gain of nine tenths as compared with the old method of coopering up a door way, and the final destruction of such 'cooperage Furtl'iern'iore, it must be remembered in this connection, that my auxiliary panel is of unitary and permanent structure, and in-'ay be used repeatedly, the only alteration in the car door-way being the addition of the supplementary jambs j', j', which in no wise interfere with the use of the car without my auxiliary panel.

Finally, my auxiliary panel, and method of use and,manipulation. affords a perfect double seal in so far as the mobile contents of the car is concerned; and the emergency door in said panel affords a safe means of delivery en route, into sacks or wagons on sidings at points other than terminals.

`What I claim as my invention 'and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

l. `In combination with the side door-way of a freight car provided 'with auxiliary jamb flanges, an auxiliary lclosure panel therefor, comprising a series of longitudinal boards, transverse marginal cleats uniting the same, laterally slidable shouldered bolt plates mounted on said marginal cleats, and a plurality of duplex cams fulerumed on the panel, each duplex cam formed with an eccentric thrust member engageable with the shoulders of the respective plate to move said plate to and from a position overlying the respective jamb flange and with a wedge member to bind said plate and fiange into close engagement for the purpose and substanti ally in the manner set forth.

2. In combination with the side door-way of a freight car provided with auxiliary jamb flanges, an auxiliary closure panel therefor. comprising a series of longitudinal boards, transverse marginal cleats uniting the saine, laterally slidable shouldered bolt plates mounted. on said marginal cleats,and a plurality of duplex cams fulcrumcd on the panel each duplex cam formed with an eccentric thrust member engageable with the shoulders of the respective plate to move said plate to and from a position overlying the respective jamb flange and with a wedge member to bind said plate and flange into close engagement, together with longitudinal reinforcement battens positioned on the lower inner side of said panel, for the purpose and substantially in the manner set forth.

3. In combination with the side door-way of a freight car provided with auxiliary the b ottom of said j amb flanges, an auxiliary closure panel therefor, comprising a series of longitudinal boards, transverse marginal cleats uniting the same, laterally slidable shouldered bolt plates mounted on said marginal cleats, and a plurality of duplex cams fulcrumed on the panel each duplex cam formed with an eccentric thrust member engageable with the shoulders of the respective plate to move said plate to and from a position overlying the respective jamb flange and with a Wedge member to bind said plate and flange into close engagement, together with a sill board forming the bottom of the panel, and a metallic shoe extending longitudinally along sill-board, for the purpose and substantially in the manner set forth.

fl. In combination with the side door-Way of a freight car provided with auxiliary jamb flanges, an auxiliary closure panel therefor, comprising a series of longitudinal boards, transverse marginal cleats uniting the same, laterally slidable shouldered bolt plates mounted on said marginal cleats, and a plurality of duplex cams fulcrumed on the panel each duplex cam formed With an eccentric thrust member engageable with the shoulders of the respective plate to move said plate to and from a position overlying the respective jamb flange and With a Wedge member to bind said plate and flange into close engagement,together With an emergency door and exit formed in said panel, and a rear shield plate contacting with said emergency door, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with the side door-Way of a freight car provided with auxiliary jamb flanges, an auxiliary closure panel therefor, comprising a series of longitudinal boards, transverse marginal cleats uniting the same, laterally slidable shouldered bolt plates mounted on said marginal cleats, and a plurality of duplex cams fulcrumed on the panel each duplex cam formed with an eccentric thrust member engageable with the shoulders of the respective plate to move. said plate to and from a position over lying the respective jamb flange and with a Wedge member to bind said plate and flange into close engagement, together With an emergency door and exit formed in said panel, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

VALLACE W. BOOTH.

Witnesses Guo. WM.` MIATT, MARGARET K. HANSTEIN. 

